Bicycling in Amsterdam
Vocabulary
| rule (2) | conscious | build/built/built |
| tip (3) | network (2) | get/got/got (3) |
| deal (3) | get around | feel/felt/felt (2) |
| side (2) | insurance | hold/held/held (2) |
| inherent | long-term | comfortable |
| fault | space (2) | make a difference |
| lane | practical | make/made/made |
| junction | segregate | give/gave/given |
| provide | thing (2) | intersection |
| way (2) | protection | come/came/come |
| type (2) | all the way | come into contact |
| priority | build into | write/wrote/written |
| accident | mean (3) | drive/drove/driven (2) |
| wheel | grow up (2) | grow/grew/grown (2) |
| big deal | mass (2) | hold a conversation |
| onus | whole (2) | the onus is on |
| prove | short-term | commitment |
| care | incentive | take/took/taken |
| extra | take care | infrastructure |
| create | think twice | think/thought/thought (2) |
| grab | convenient | side-by-side |
| store (2) | around (3) | embassy (2) |
| paste | inspiration | copy-and-paste |
| add (2) | dominate | good/better/the best |
| term (3) | matter (2) | in a matter of decades |
| masses | medium-term |
Video: Bicycling in The Netherlands
Transcript
How do you build a nation of cyclists?
Here in the Netherlands, bikes rule.
But how did they get here? And could other countries do the same?
Here are some tips from the Dutch Cycling Embassy.
01 Comfort
It shouldn’t feel like a big deal. You should be able to cycle side-by-side, hold a normal conversation.
That’s how the experts say you’ll get the masses cycling.
The idea is that an eight-year-old and an 80-year-old should be comfortable cycling.
02 Infrastructure
Bike parking really makes a difference. If you’re going to give people space to cycle, then they need to have somewhere to store their bikes.
Segregated cycle lanes, junctions or intersections, one thing the Dutch do provide is protection all the way through.
And when the different types of road users do come into contact with each other — the bikes are always given priority! And that’s something that’s built into these streets.
03 Education
When you’ve been travelling by bike your whole life, it almost comes as naturally as walking.
It also means most drivers grow up on two wheels. They’re inherently conscious of where and how cyclists move.
04 Insurance
It’s written into the insurance here, if there’s an accident, the onus is on the driver to prove they weren’t at fault, which gives an added financial incentive to take extra care.
And what all of this has done is create this cycling culture which means that people don’t think twice before grabbing their bikes because this is simply the most convenient and comfortable way to get around.
Is it practical for every country to have a cycle network like the Netherlands does?
Chris Brunetlett, Dutch Cycling Embassy: “The good news is yes. It’s not necessarily a copy-and-paste; it’s just taking the inspiration from the Dutch and the best practices that they’ve developed.
The Netherlands has changed from a car-dominated country to a bicycle-dominated country in a matter of decades. And this is the message that we now take to cities around the world, that change is possible. You just need that long-term commitment to making it so.”
Questions
Bicycle, Bike, Tricycle. In Holland, luxury cars and sports cars are a big status symbol. Everyone desires to have a big, new, expensive car. True or false?
Moped, Scooter. For the Dutch, is the most important aspect of cycling riding very fast with Olympic-style bicycles and wearing fashionable bike-racing clothes?
Motorcycle. In the Netherlands, only children, poor and working-class people ride bikes. Is this right or wrong?
Car, Automobile. Do cyclists and motorists use the same roads in Amsterdam?
Van. Do cyclists (always) have to yield to motor vehicles (cars and trucks)? Who usually has the right-of-way?
Truck. How do motorists feel about bicyclists? Are car drivers annoyed by cyclists?
Bus, City Bus, Intercity Bus. Are people in Amsterdam hesitant or reluctant to ride bikes on streets?
Train, Rail, Railway, Rail Line. Bicycle culture is inherently unique to traditional Dutch society. Is this correct or incorrect?
Airplane. I own and ride a bicycle. Yes or no? What have been your and your friends experiences with bicycles?
Canoe, Kayak, Raft. Is cycling popular in your city, region or country? Have there been changes over time?
Boat, Yacht. Where I live, cars are a status symbol: if a person drives a new, luxury or sports car, he is considered to be successful, prosperous and a winner. Everyone respects and admires him, and all the girls love him.
Meanwhile people without cars are regarded as failures, losers and nobodies. No one will be their friend, and no one will marry them. Is this entirely true, mostly true, partially true, in the middle, mostly untrue or completely false?
Ship. Would you like your city or nation to be like the Netherlands?
Rocket, Rocket Ship, Space Ship. Is the Dutch model the way of the future? What will happen in the future?
Space Station. Should people and governments do anything? What should people, businesses and governments do?
